Changes in WTA tour means the days of child stars are gone, which is why 17-year-old’s achievements are so significantThere are two teenagers in the top 100 of the WTA rankings at the moment. Women’s tennis, in some ways, was built on the success of its child prodigies – Chris Evert, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and the Williams sisters – who audaciously stormed towards the top in their youth, demanding attention.Those days are long gone. Between the improved depth, physicality and professionalism at the lower levels, possibly a more sparse talent pool and the WTA’s age eligibility rules restricting the number of tournaments a child can contest, it is increasingly more difficult to flit up the rankings so early. Continue reading...
17-year-old Mirra Andreeva won the Indian Wells title, defeating the world's top two players, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. She joins Steffi Graf and Serena Williams as the only players under 18 to achieve this feat at a WTA event. Andreeva's success, along with Maya Joint, highlights the presence of teenagers in the WTA top 100. Her partnership with coach Conchita Martínez contributes to her success.
